The pain was beyond words. As soon as a drop of poison touched his throat, Yoe Choin felt as if he had swallowed boiling hot molten steel.
"Ugh...! Damn it... this hurts more than being crushed by a concrete block!"
Choin groaned, his body trembling violently on the cold cave floor.
Inside, Moen Kang Yo was screaming in panic.
"Idiot! You really did it! Our hearts are going to explode! Channel the Qi to the left, now!"
"Boss! Don't panic while the inspection is in progress!"
Choin gritted his teeth until they bled. His glowing blue eyes scanned the flow of poison that was creeping through his meridians like acid corroding a steel pipe.
"I'm... forcing a chemical reaction in our bodies. Your bodies need to produce massive amounts of Qi to survive. This is project acceleration!"
Sweat mixed with black liquid began to seep from Moen Kang Yo's pores. Soon, a pungent, putrid odor filled the cave. It smelled like a mixture of sulfur, rotting industrial waste, and chemical waste that had built up over decades.
"What's this smell? You're desecrating the sacred grounds of the Moen clan with this filthy stench?!"
Kang Yo shouted in annoyance.
"This... this is called waste disposal, Boss," Choin replied breathlessly. His voice was hoarse but filled with satisfaction.
"The smellier it is, the more toxic 'waste' and meridian impurities are being released. In my world, if you want to build a new building on old land, you have to dredge the septic tank thoroughly."
Slowly, the tremors in his body subsided, replaced by the energy pressure in Choin's dantian, which suddenly overflowed, solidified, and became much denser than before.
Project Status: Acceleration Successful.
Cultivation Level: Structure Realm Level 3.
After washing himself off with the remaining water in the cave, Choin stood up and picked up the Black Iron Heavy Sword. The weapon now felt much lighter in his hand.
"Okay, Boss. The foundation and framework have been strengthened. Now give me the working instructions for the Demonic Heavy Sword,"
Choin said while warming up his shoulders.
Kang Yo paused for a moment before answering with a slightly embarrassed tone.
"Damn... I only remember five of the original 24 techniques. I've been self-taught in this cave all this time before you came."
"Only five? Such a big project, but only five moves?"
Choin chuckled.
"Okay, send the memory to my head now."
When the memory fragment entered, Choin didn't see it as a beautiful silat movement. In his foreman's eyes, the five techniques transformed into vector diagrams, elevation angles, and gravitational force calculations.
Technique 1: Earth-Splitting Demon Strike.
Technique 2: Eternal Night Storm Sweep.
Technique 3: Abyss Shadow Vortex.
Technique 4: Space-Penetrating Demonic Thrust.
Technique 5: Black Star Cataclysm.
Choin began swinging his greatsword. His movements were stiff at first, but gradually became very precise the longer he wielded the sword.
"Hmm, this second technique's angle is three degrees off. If I rotate my wrist just a little more, the momentum will increase twenty percent without wasting Qi,"
Choin muttered as he adjusted his stance.
For over a day, Choin trained physically with terrifying discipline. He did one-handed push-ups with his heavy sword on his back, then ran across the cave wall to practice dynamic balance, and did hundreds of sit-ups to strengthen his abdominal and waist muscles.
"Why are you torturing yourself like this? Instead of resting?"
Kang Yo asked, surprised at Choin's persistence.
"Even the most insane swordsman doesn't train to the point of tearing his muscles like this."
Choin paused, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and then let out a short laugh.
"You know, Boss? Back in my real life, I studied civil engineering while participating in organizations. I often only slept two hours a day because I was working on project reports and had to present in front of professors who were fiercer than the Demon Empress or whatever,"
Choin smiled palely.
"This cave feels like a campus library during midterms week. Luckily, I was in college and participated in so many activities that I almost died because of projects, so this kind of discipline is just breakfast for me."
Kang Yo remained silent, trying to digest the strange terms "lecture" and "lecturer," but he could feel the steely determination of the foreman's soul within him.
Choin stood up straight, pointing his black sword toward the cave door. The cold wind from outside began to pour in, bringing the fresh scent of the forest, a sign that his sense of perception was now much sharper.
"Analysis complete,"
Choin said solemnly.
"Even though we only have five techniques, with my efficient management, I can maximize their output to the equivalent of fifteen regular techniques. Our body structures are now ready to take on a heavier combat load."
"Foreman... doyou feel that?"
Kang Yo's voice suddenly became serious.
"Yes. The vibration frequency of footsteps on the ground. Five people. About five hundred meters from the direction of the forest."
Choin smiled faintly, but his eyes were as cold as construction ice.
"Good, I need some test materials to test this level 3 Structure Realm."
Choin walked slowly toward the cave entrance, letting his heavy sword drag across the stone floor, creating sparks that lit up the darkness.
"Time for a surprise inspection."